


Strength of a Man, Heart of a Maiden

by OtantikJP



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Breakdown, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-09 12:58:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4349705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OtantikJP/pseuds/OtantikJP
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I like to pretend this happens in early Season 6. </p><p>Jaime and Brienne are reunited together on the quest to find and save Sansa. Jaime lost self-confidence because of all that's happened in King's Landing and due to the loss of Myrcella and Cersei, he's an emotional mess.</p><p>That night they're in a little quiet inn and Jaime has a sudden anxiety that he can't control.</p><p>This will probably have more than one chapter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strength of a Man, Heart of a Maiden

**Author's Note:**

> Forgive my english, my first language is french.
> 
> MUCH thanks to JustAGirl24 for her help with the correction. x

The cold harsh winter's wind was pinching them more than ever when they finally found a little inn across the road. 'Winter has come' was written on an old wooden board. 

Brienne was the first to push the door open and entered the old building. The door made an odd creaking as she did. Pod and Jaime followed behind her, and the three of them had their heads covered under fur hoods. Brienne certainly did not look feminine at that moment, as she removed her hood and first layer of clothes, revealing her dirty face, greasy hair and cracked lips. Pod seemed quite all right, his cheeks red from the cold and still shivering, but he seemed rather pleased to be in a warm place, finally. Jaime was at his worst. Simply looking at his hollow cheeks, you could see he had lost a considerable amount of weight; his skin tone was distinctly pale; and his eyes looked more grey than their usual rich emerald. Brienne glared at him for a second, blue eyes filled with concern.

They ordered one big room and all of them had the luxury of taking a bath in the intimity of a separated bathroom, after which Podrick arrived in the room and passed out on the bed. "Goodnight, Ser and Lady," he barely had the time to say before falling into a peaceful sleep. Brienne walked past his bed and pulled the covers further up his neck, almost covering his ears before patting his shoulder gently. "Goodnight Pod," she whispered. Jaime looked at them from the corner of the room, and a strange feeling of bitterness started to grow within him. He recalled Myrcella, Joffrey, Tommen and Cersei, sadness and regret aching in his belly. He felt his throat tightening oddly.

After a few minutes, Brienne seemed fast asleep. Jaime and Pod had let her use the most comfortable, and ultimately, the biggest bed. Her breathing was calm, and Jaime observed that her fingers grasped tightly at her waistline - where Oathkeeper usually was in the daylight.

Jaime glanced nervously at the ceiling, trying to keep his mind off of the sudden anxiety that invaded him. "Not today, not today," Jaime whispered to himself as he felt his insides start to tremble. His breathing quickened, and he fought to make it deeper, slower. The trembling moved to his feet and hands, and he was sweating abundantly, even though he was desperately cold. Shaking hands held on tightly to the thin sheets as his eyes started to fill with tears that he refused to shed. Despite himself, he let a low moan of discomfort that didn't fail to awaken Brienne. 

_"Jaime?"_ she spoke, her voice a little louder than a whisper. Jaime replied with a sound that was between a sigh and a sob. Brienne furrowed her eyebrows. "Jaime, are you all right?" she attempted once more, her voice softer than the first time. "No," he replied, and his voice sounded different, pained. 

"What is it?" Brienne asked, concern obvious in her tone. 

"I'm cold, unwell, I haven't felt like this in a long time." His jaw was stiff, and he was clearly panicked. Brienne identified his trouble with ease, having dealt with that kind of problem herself many times in her younger days.

"Breathe slowly," Brienne suggested. "It's all in your head."

"I'm trying, help me, I'm not going to make it alone." He sounded like a child begging his mother. Brienne felt a strange flutter in her stomach, as though she was feeling his pain. 

The knot in his upper belly felt harder, tighter with every breath. He blinked several times, small tears finally escaping his eyes. He wanted to puke, and his bladder felt so full that he felt he could barely hold it to the chamber pot, but he did, walking ungracefully towards it. Brienne looked at him as he peed and felt herself flush embarrassingly. She recalled some awkward moments like this one when she had him as a prisoner.

With his calves shaking, he stepped clumsily towards the bed and sat on it, using his hand and his stump to rub at his tired eyes. When he finally removed his hand to reveal his fearful and wet eyes, Brienne's heart sank. 

"Nobody trusts me or loves me anymore." he mumbled, his words painful. His heartrate kept accelerating. "Myrcella would still be alive if it wasn't for me." Jaime choked out, and despite the darkness, she saw the tears pour across his hollow cheeks.

"Jaime..." she had a sudden urge to hold him close and feel his warm skin against hers, to speak into his ear until all of his hurt was gone. "It's not your fault Jaime, you were manipulated into going there," she said, trying to catch his glance, but he was still looking at the floor. "And somehow you felt it was the right thing to do." Brienne was resting on her elbow, but as she spoke, she rose to a sitting position, her features screaming concern for the poor man. She wanted to tell him that _she_ trusted him, that _she_ loved him.

Jaime finally lifted his gaze up to her, and she noticed an obvious gleam in his eyes. "Can I…join you?" he nodded in the direction of her bed. 

Brienne looked in Pod's direction, wondering if he would notice anything, but the young man was sleeping like a log. "Yes," she replied, with the most womanly and soft voice she could make. Jaime stepped from his bed to hers in an instant, shoving himself into the warmth of the thick sheets. Though he did not face her, she observed his bare back for a moment and flushed once more, wondering what it would be like to press herself against him and give him warmth and comfort. In fact that's what she wanted to do so, so badly.

"There's one thing that really helps me when I feel like this," he paused for a moment, swallowing the dryness in his mouth "Would you... Scratch my back?" Brienne's eyes widened in surprise but she did not refuse his request. Featherlight fingers soon reached between his shoulder blades where his skin was very hot even though he was still shivering badly. Her nails worked against his skin gently, yet firmly. Jaime felt a shiver run from the base of his spine to the tape of his neck, letting a little moan of satisfaction out. When her hand passed near his shoulder, Jaime’s hand grabbed hers, dragging her body close to his and dropping her hand on his chest, where she could feel his heart pounding angrily and his muscles still inflicted with spasms.

Her whole body tensed but she somehow managed to deal with her emotions. Seeing Jaime having such an awful time truly awakened her nurturing side. Her hand moved slowly against his chest, stroking him reassuringly. 

"Shh. There, breathe with me." Brienne inhaled deeply and held her breath for a few seconds before exhaling slowly. Jaime tried to follow, struggling. She repeated the process until his body loosened. She could still feel him tremble a little, but soon enough, he managed to follow the rhythm of her own breathing. 

_He's asleep_ , she thought.

Being a little taller than him, Brienne's body wrapped perfectly around his as she spooned him. She pushed her face at the base of his neck, inhaling his scent. 

Unbidden, Jaime grasped her hand and lifted it up to his mouth to kiss her fingers. Brienne tensed a little before questioning him, clearly embarrassed. "What was that for?" 

"To thank you." He turned over to face her, barely an inch separating their mouths now. Seeing the shine in each other's eyes, they closed the distance between their lips as if it was the most natural thing in the world. 

"I love you, Jaime." Brienne’s eyes were glassy with happy tears.  
"And I love you, Brienne."

\--

In the early morning, they were still asleep and tangled in each other. Pod looked at them with a confused look, but it wasn't like it would never happen. He smiled and walked to the hall to order some breakfast.


End file.
